Starting this afternoon Hoosiers can now drive on the newest section of Interstate 69 in southern Indiana.
The Indiana Department of Transportation officially open Section four of Interstate 69 from Crane to just south of Bloomington to the public at the end of the business day today.
Gov. Mike Pence gathered with local and regional leaders at the WestGate Academy Conferencing and Training Center in Odon to cut the ribbon on the section of interstate late this morning. Afterward, he lead a ceremonial caravan down the 27-mile stretch of road.
INDOT spokesman Will Wingfield says construction costs for the section currently total $471 million, and he says drivers should still anticipate seeing road crews putting the finishing touches on the section.
Wingfield says although the new I-69 will be open to traffic, construction is not yet complete. He says. crews will be working on the medians and the outside shoulders to maintain grass and sediment erosion control. Especially as the weather warms up in the spring, motorists should expect periodic lane closures as they wrap up work.
I-69 section four was originally expected to open by the end of 2014, but inclement weather delayed the section’s opening by a year.
